I’m sitting in my top-floor apartment in Florence, enjoying a rare view of the city from above. After several months of moving between cities, I’ve learned to view my “days off”, or time spent relaxing in a hotel room or apartment as necessary and valuable, rather than wasted days as they initially felt. This week, I’m choosing to take advantage of the opportunity to feel truly Florentine: buying groceries in my neighbourhood and cooking at home, walking the residential streets, and “taking coffee”, as Italians say, in local cafes, rather than checking off as many museums and galleries as possible.

This is my second visit to Florence this year, as I made a two-night stop in the city on a group travel tour of Italy in November. My first time here was quite rushed, so I’m embracing a slower pace this time. After two hot days, today has been rainy and thundering, so I’m even more at ease with staying in and spending time catching up and regrouping.

Ponte Vecchio in Florence

Florence in April is certainly a different scene from Florence in November. When I visited before, I was on a one-week trip that started in Rome and finished in Venice. 37 of us (a small group compared to the company’s maximum of 50) travelled together by bus, with a tour guide, and hit the high points of the three famous cities. In Rome, we had a pizza-making demonstration, visited the colosseum, and toured Vatican City. In and around Florence, we visited a winery, toured the city with a local guide, and watched a leather demonstration. After stops in Pisa for photos with the tower, and Verona to see Juliet’s balcony, we arrived in Venice, where we learned about Murano glass and rode the canals in gondolas. All opportunities that I likely wouldn’t have had, and shared with other travellers whom I wouldn’t have met, had I not been on the tour.

Being on such a large tour was exactly the opposite experience of most of my other travel days, and also far from a local experience. While I seek out social interaction often while traveling, I also really enjoy my own company, as well as the choice of what to do and where to go at any given moment. The adventure of going solo for this journey has certainly brought times of loneliness and unpredictability, but has also brought truly unlimited freedom, abundant opportunities for reflection, and exciting potential in every situation for learning, experiencing, or meeting something or someone new.

And tomorrow, I’ll visit Pitti Palace, climb to the top of the Duomo, and browse the shops on Ponte Vecchio. Or maybe I’ll just get gelato and watch people pass through Piazza Santo Spirito.

Either way, I’ll set the pace.

xo
Laura